


Fresh Eyes

by Leslie_Knope



Series: Fresh Eyes [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: First Kiss, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-29 03:59:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3881452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leslie_Knope/pseuds/Leslie_Knope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can a new addition to the Five-0 team help resolve the tension between Steve and Danny? Sometimes, all you need to see clearly is a pair of fresh eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't you all worry, in the next couple days I'll post a follow-up story (more like 3) with the smutty, sexy goodness!

"Yes, Governor," Steve gritted out. "I'll keep you updated, sir." He put the phone down, perhaps with more force than necessary, and braced his head in his hands. 

"Wow, that's a serious case of aneurysm face there, babe."

Steve glanced up to see Danny's head poking through his office doorway. 

"Uh, yeah. Got some not-so-great news from the governor," Steve replied. "C'mon." 

He slid his desk chair back and rose, striding toward the door. Danny stepped aside to let him pass and followed him to the open area. 

"Hey Chin! Kono! Come out here for a sec," Steve called out.

"What's up, boss?" Kono asked, leaning her elbows on the computer table. 

Steve glanced around, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just got off the phone with the governor. We're getting a new team member. Well, temporarily," he allowed. 

He shifted his gaze to all the surprised faces around him, landing on Danny. 

"Well, that’s uh…good?” Danny finished lamely. 

"Yeah, what's the story?" Kono prompted. 

"The FBI is looking into some extensive organized crime that may have spread to the islands, and they want to determine whether they need to open an office here,” Steve said, standing with his hands on his hips. “So we'll be welcoming Special Agent Marie Jackson. She'll be working with us for a little while, here to help out and see if we need some extra manpower."

"What do we know about her?"

Steve shifted his gaze to Chin and answered. "She's young—still in her 20s, I think—but she's apparently one of their best. Great marks in her file."

“Well, I for one am excited,” Kono said with an impish grin. “We need a little more estrogen around here.”

They all laughed, and then Steve’s gaze turned serious again.

“You don’t look very happy, Steve,” Chin remarked.

"I just...feel a little protective of all of us, I guess. We've all been through a lot lately," Steve said, looking a little embarrassed.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, babe,” Danny said. “It probably will be nice to have an extra set of hands around here, and it is only temporary.”

Steve nodded resolutely. Danny was right. They could handle this.

An hour or so later, Steve wandered over to Danny’s office. "Hey," he said, rapping his knuckles on the frame of his office door. "I gotta go drop something off at the base and run a couple more errands. I'll see you in a bit."

Danny looked up from his computer and nodded. "Okay. When is the new girl supposed to come by?"

"Later this afternoon, I think," Steve answered. "I shouldn't be gone too long."

"Try not to get into too much trouble!" Danny called after Steve. A half-hearted wave over Steve's shoulder was all he got in response. 

 

"C'mon, c'mon," Steve muttered under his breath as he circled the parking lot, looking for a free space. He finally found one and eased the Camaro into the spot. Steve jumped out and slammed the door, striding down the sidewalk in the midst of a heavy crowd.

Suddenly he stopped short. Someone had come up directly behind him, and what felt like the end of a gun was pressing into his back. 

"McGarrett," he heard. "You're coming with me. Nice and slow. Don't try anything stupid."

Steve couldn't reach down for the gun at his hip—this area was way too crowded and the potential for civilian casualties was way too high. Fuck. He stilled, his mind racing and trying to determine the best course of action

All of a sudden he heard a loud grunt and the pressure at his back disappeared. He whirled around to see a young woman struggling with the tall man. Before Steve could even think to intervene, she had the man disarmed and on his stomach on the ground.

"Commander McGarrett, right?" The girl asked, looking up at him. She had one knee braced down on the man's back and was pressing the gun against his shoulder. "A little help here please?"

Steve shook himself, incredibly confused at what was happening. He grabbed a zip tie out of one of the pockets of his cargo pants and knelt down, tying up the man's wrists. As the woman stood up, setting the gun's safety back into place, Steve reached for his phone to call HPD and ask for backup. 

Steve slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned to face the woman, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling himself to his full height. "Who the fuck are you?" He said bluntly.

"Special Agent Marie Jackson. Your new team member," the girl said, completely unfazed by Steve’s attitude. She dug around in her back pocket and displayed a badge. At Steve's nod, she replaced it and offered her hand for him to shake. 

Steve looked her over, still a little dumbfounded over the actions of the past three minutes. Her red hair fell in soft waves to the middle of her back. Dressed in a tight t-shirt and jeans, she was slim but looked strong. Well, obviously, considering she took down that guy, Steve thought. 

"If you could stop staring, that would be great," Steve heard her say. He jerked his gaze up to meet her eyes and was relieved to see her grinning. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of an approaching siren. 

“Commander McGarrett,” the officer said. “What have we got here?” The officer’s partner headed over to the man still on the ground, replacing the zip tie with handcuffs and hauling him to his feet.

“I have no idea,” Steve said honestly. “He just pulled a gun on me. I don’t really recognize him, but he knew my name—must’ve been someone that we put away. If you can book him, we’ll be in touch.”

The officer nodded at him and Marie. “Will do, Commander. Talk to you soon.”

Steve sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He turned toward Marie.

"You want a ride to HQ?" he offered. "I heard you were supposed to come by a little later."

Marie nodded. "Sure, I was out just running a couple errands. Let's go."

After they were settled in the Camaro and headed back to HQ, Marie turned in her seat to address Steve.

"You're welcome, by the way," she informed him. "For saving your ass."

“Hey!” Steve protested. “I had that situation totally under control.”

She rolled her eyes playfully and laughed. "Yeah right. There’s no way you would draw your gun with all those people around.”

“Fine,” Steve admitted. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it. And I owe you.”

"Nah, we’re teammates, at least for now. Just in the right time, right place, I guess," she said with a smile and a shrug. 

"God, Danno's gonna kill me," Steve grumbled.

"Who's Danno?" Marie asked. 

"Danny Williams, my partner. Don't call him Danno, though. He'll be pissed."

"And yet you do?"

Steve shrugged. "He's pretty much pissed at me all the time, so I might as well get something out of it," he said with a grin. 

Marie laughed. “Good to know. Why is he going to be mad?”

“Well, mad is pretty much his default state, but he’ll make a big fuss about how I found my way into trouble again.”

Marie chuckled and sat back in her seat.


	2. Chapter 2

Hearing commotion in the HQ common area, Danny glanced up from his computer to see Steve holding the door open, laughing and allowing a redhead to enter before him. Danny half-stood to get a better view and frowned. She was slender yet curvy, about the same height as Danny, and _very_ pretty. 

He watched as Steve introduced Kono to the woman, who he assumed was the FBI agent they were expecting. She turned to Steve and smiled while he blushed slightly—blushed! Danny wasn't aware that the SuperSEAL was capable of blushing—and explained something to Kono. 

Well. Steve seemed to have gotten over his discomfort with the whole situation. Lovely redheads can do that to a man. 

All of a sudden, Steve caught his eye and waved, clearly asking Danny to come out and meet their new coworker. He rose fully from his desk and took a deep breath, smoothing one hand back over his hair and the other down his shirt. No problem. He could turn on the charm. 

He strode out, grin set firmly in place, and approached the couple. He internally shook his head. Bad choice of words.

"Hi," he said warmly, reaching out his hand. "Detective Danny Williams."

The woman took his hand and gripped it firmly. "Hi there. Special Agent Marie Jackson. I've already heard quite a bit about you," she said with a slight tilt of her head toward Steve. 

"All lies, I'm sure," Danny said smoothly, with a wink. "Welcome to Hawaii. Where are you coming from?"

"Boston, actually. This temperature change is quite a shock."

"Ah, someone else from the northeast! Finally. I'm being brainwashed by these crazy Hawaiians. What are your thoughts on pineapple?"

Marie laughed and shook her head, her wavy hair swishing around. "Hate it. Always have."

"A girl after my own heart,” Danny said, putting his hands on his chest and mock-bowing toward her. “Okay, Steve, I like her. She can stay. She can be my ally against all you crazies."

Marie chucked and smiled at Danny, her bright blue eyes meeting his.

Danny turned toward Steve, who was frowning deeply.

“Earth to Steve,” Danny said, waving his hand in front of Steve’s face. “What crawled up your ass?”

Steve rolled his eyes and swatted Danny’s hand away. “Come on, Marie, let me introduce you to Chin.”

 

Danny ignored the closed door to Steve’s office, entering without a knock and closing it again behind him.

“So, care to explain to me why I just got a call from HPD about the man who _pulled a gun on you_ this morning? Were you ever planning to tell me about that?

“I told you he’d be pissed,” Steve said with a grin. It was only then that Danny saw Marie, who was seated on Steve’s couch.

Marie chuckled and stood up. “I think I’m going to leave you two alone. Steve, remember that I saved your ass. Wouldn’t wanna forget that little fact.” Marie smiled and slipped out the door.

“Um, what?” Danny asked, spreading his arms out wide.

Steve sighed and gestured toward the couch. Danny sat and looked at him expectantly, raising one eyebrow.

“When I was out running errands this morning, some asshole pulled a gun on me. I couldn’t draw my own gun because I was in a big crowd,” Steve said calmly. “And then all of a sudden, yes, Marie showed up and saved my ass. She had that guy disarmed and on the ground in about two seconds. Then I called HPD and they came to pick him up. End of story.”

“You are impossible. Seriously. Only you could find trouble while running errands. And now we obviously have a female Steve. Great.” Danny fell back on the couch until he was stretched out fully.

“But seriously,” he said soberly, turning his head toward Steve. “I wasn’t there, so I’m glad she was. That’s impressive." 

“Oh yeah,” Steve replied. “She’s good with a gun, had great hand-to-hand skills, seems smart. I think she’ll be an asset.”

“She seems pretty tough. And speaking of pretty…man.” Danny shook his head and folded his arms behind his head. So he liked to needle Steve a little bit. Sue him. It’s hard surviving life when you’re in love with your boss—Danny needs to get his joy where he can.

Sure enough, Steve’s jaw tightened, right on cue. “You think she’s pretty?”

“You don’t?”

“I guess. She sure seemed to like you.”

Danny smirked. Can’t let Steve’s ego get too big—of course the new girl he had a crush on might like Danny. Sure, Danny couldn’t understand how someone could go for short, blonde, and mouthy over tall, dark, and handsome, but hey. No need to let Steve know that. “Course she did. Everyone likes me, babe.”

“Don’t I know it,” Steve said under his breath.

"Hey guys!" Chin called out in the direction of Steve's office. "We gotta case, c'mon."

Danny levered himself off Steve's couch and joined the rest of their team around the computer table. 

"Okay, Chin, what’ve we got?" Steve crossed his arms and nodded toward him. 

"Well, hate to say it, but it looks like we might have a serial rapist on our hands," Chin said grimly. 

Danny clenched his fists and stuck them in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. These cases were the worst. They always had been, of course, but they became even tougher to deal with since Grace came along. He glanced around to see similar reactions from the rest of the team. Marie was standing next to Steve, her arms tensely crossed and her mouth in a tight line. 

"HPD was handling it as a couple of separate cases at first," Chin continued, "but it appears that they're connected. They've happened at different nightclubs over the past few weeks, but the descriptions provided by the women are all similar."

Chin swiped on the computer table to bring up four sketches. "All of the women have described a tall man, early 30s with blond hair. DNA results have been inconclusive so far and we don't have any fingerprints. He threatens the women with a gun or a knife, but he hasn't hurt them in that way. Yet."

"Okay, so that's not a whole lot to go on," Steve said, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "What's our plan of attack?"

"Actually there's more," Chin said. "This is what helped tie all of these cases together. All of these women were here on vacation, they all have red hair, and they all arrived with their boyfriends or husbands.”

There was a best of silence before Marie said ruefully, "Well, shit. Guess there's no gentle easing-in period with 5-0."

Her comment was met with chuckles all around.

"So you think undercover is the best bet, Steve?" Chin asked. 

Steve scrubbed a hand over his face and answered, "Yeah, I do. Marie, you obviously fit the profile of a potential victim. Do you feel comfortable going in undercover?" He turned toward her and studied her carefully. 

Marie nodded firmly and answered, "Absolutely. I've done a lot of undercover work in the past, and I'll do anything to catch a piece of shit like this guy."

Steve smiled and nodded. "Great, it's decided then. Marie and I will go undercover. We-"

"Hey hey now," Danny broke in. He was not looking forward to a night stuck in a dark surveillance van, watching these two _pretend_ to be a couple. "How come it has to be you? Why can't it be me?"

Steve started a bit and looked at Danny, his mouth tight. "You want to go undercover instead?"

“Yeah,” Danny said decisively. “Why not?”

Okay, Steve _definitely_ had aneurysm face now.

"So," Danny prompted Steve, who had yet to say anything. This coupling may be inevitable, but he could at least try to slow it down a bit. "Rock paper scissors, babe?"

Steve rolled his eyes and stuck out his fist. "Fine." 

Danny grinned. "Okay, on three. One, two, three."

He glanced down to see his hand in a fist and Steve's hand (which was so big, _fuck_ ) out flat. "Aw, shit."

Steve let his mouth relax into a lazy smirk, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Sorry Danno."

"Thanks so much for asking my input here, guys,” Marie said with a grin. “Don't worry about me, I'm fine.”

They all laughed, her comment serving to break the tension in the room a bit.

"It's been several days since the last attack, so we can even try tomorrow night. We'll have to pick a different nightclub, though. Any ideas?" Steve looked around at his team.

“There’s a new club that opened recently near Waikiki. It’s supposed to be very swanky, very cool,” Kono suggested. “We could try there.”

Steve nodded in her direction. “Sounds good to me. Thanks, Kono. Let’s get going then. Two of the women who have been attacked are still in town, right Chin?” At Chin’s nod, Steve continued. “We should talk to them again, see if we can pick up anything else. Marie and I will go see one, Chin and Kono the other. Danno, you’re the best at picking up on things from the HPD files—see if there’s anything else you can pick out. We also need to see if we can patch into any of the club’s security cameras.”

Danny frowned. Really? Stuck back at HQ going through files? His thoughts were interrupted by both his phone and Steve’s going off.

“Hello, Governor,” Danny heard Steve say as he walked back toward his office.

A few minutes later, both of them had rejoined the group around the computer table.

“I’m afraid I’m going to be mostly unavailable for the rest of the day,” Steve said with a shake of his head. “Need to go meet with some of the Governor’s people about a diplomatic event that’s happening in a couple weeks.”

“Okay!” Danny said, bringing his hands together in front of this chest. “I’ll go with Marie to talk to the victim.”

Steve clenched his jaw and looked down. “I suppose so then.”

Danny turned toward Marie and smiled. “I actually just got a call that I need to go pick up my daughter from school, so we can stop by and do that afterward.” She returned his smile and nodded.

Steve’s head shot up and he looked a little pained. “Say hi to Gracie for me.”


	3. Chapter 3

Marie went to stand by Danny on the other side of the Camaro, leaning against the car and mirroring Danny’s position with his arms and his ankles crossed.

“Steve’s told me a lot about Grace,” she started, turning slightly toward Danny to read his reaction. “He really seems to love her a lot.”

Danny’s faced relaxed into an easy smile. “Yeah, and the feeling is mutual. Sometimes I think Grace loves her Uncle Steve more than me.”

Marie chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You seem like a great dad.”

“I am, in fact, the best dad in the world, at least according to Gracie,” Danny said with a wink, “but how could you possibly know that?”

Marie shrugged and slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans, raising one foot up and back to rest against the car. “Pretty good at reading people, if I do say so myself,” she said, with a look toward Danny.

He looked at her quizzically and opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a shrill bell. Marie glanced over at the school to see a wave of children streaming out of the front doors. Several moments later she saw a dark-haired girl, who she recognized as Grace from the photos on Danny’s desk—and Steve’s. She peeled away from the rest of the pack and trotted straight toward them.

Danny bent over slightly and opened his arms for a hug, which Grace eagerly embraced. He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “Hey monkey.”

“Hi, Danno!” She said sunnily. Grace pulled away from her dad and seemed to notice the woman standing next to him. “Hi!” She said politely.

“Gracie, this is Marie,” Danny gestured to her with one arm still draped around his daughter’s small shoulders. “She’s new to Hawaii, and she’s going to be working with Five-0 for a while.”

“Hi, Grace,” Marie said with a smile and a wave. “I have heard a whole lot about you, from your dad and from your Uncle Steve, and it’s really nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Grace said warmly. “Welcome to Hawaii.”

Danny beamed at Marie, clearly happy with his daughter’s manners, and ushered her into the car. “Ready to head back to your mom’s, kiddo?”

“But it’s such a nice day, Danno. Can we go get shave ice first please,” Grace wheedled.

“You know, I’ve never had shave ice,” Marie chimed in, looking over her shoulder to smile at Grace.

“Oh you have to! It’s so good!” Grace said excitedly. “Danno, we have to go. Please?”

Danny glanced back at Grace through the rearview mirror to see her wide eyes. Damn. “Well, I suppose we wouldn’t be very good Hawaii hosts if we denied Marie shave ice, would we, Grace?”

“Yay!” Grace cheered and sat back in her seat happily.

“Why don’t you text your mom and tell her that we’ll be a little late dropping you off?” Danny asked. Grace nodded and was soon engrossed in her phone.

“Good god, Danno,” Marie said under her breath. “How do you not just give her everything?”

Danny laughed. “Hardest thing I have to do, babe.”

The Camaro soon pulled up to the beach and Kamekona’s shave ice stand. The big guy wasn’t there—probably flying poor unsuspecting tourists around the island, Danny thought idly—but his was the best on the island.

Grace piled out of the car and trotted right up to the stand, looking back impatiently at the adults who followed her slowly.

With shave ices in had a few minutes later, they found an empty picnic table and all sat down, Grace and Marie across from Danny.

“So are you happy to be in Hawaii, Marie?” Danny asked her.

She smiled and nodded. “I really am. I’m bummed about leaving Boston—we had a really great team there. But I’m pretty flexible right now, no husband or kids, so the scenery change is fun. And I’m glad to be working with you all, you seem great. What about you, Grace? Do you like it here?”

Grace nodded vigorously. “I love the beach and swimming and surfing. Danno didn’t like it so much when we first got here, but I think he likes it now. Uncle Steve forced it on him,” Grace said with a smile.

Danny groaned. “I’m not confirming or denying anything. Just don’t tell Steve, okay?”

Marie laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.”

A little while later they pulled up at Rachel’s house. Danny got out of the car, waiting for Grace to grab her things and say goodbye to Marie. He walked her to the door, one hand on her shoulder, and bent over to give her a hug.

“Bye Monkey,” he said. “Danno loves you.”

“I love you too, Danno. And I like Marie!” Grace said. “She’s cool.”

Damn. Danny wanted to dislike this new girl on principle, he really did—just for being so _fucking_ perfect for Steve and a member of his desired gender, no less—but he just couldn’t.

 

The next morning, the team was all gathered in HQ, making final plans for their night.

“Can’t say I packed anything that’s appropriate for a swanky nightclub,” Marie said. “Anyone willing to go shopping with me? Kono?”

“Absolutely,” Kono said excitedly. “I’ll catch you up on all of the Five-0 gossip.”

“Fantastic,” Marie said with a grin toward the boys. “I’m sure there’s a lot to learn.”

“Let’s head out then,” Kono said, touching Marie’s arm and starting to the door. “Don’t worry, Boss, I’ve got the company credit card!”

Steve groaned and called out after the women. “Remember, you have to justify all expenses!”

Danny smirked and turned toward Steve. “What about you, babe? Do you have any clothes to wear? Hate to say it, but cargo pants and a t-shirt with blood stains on it aren’t going to cut it at this place.”

Steve frowned down at Danny. “Yes, Daniel, I have something to wear. I hope it meets your expectations. And I’ll have you know that this shirt is blood-free…I think.”

 

Meets my expectations, my ass, Danny thought. He nearly swallowed his tongue as Steve strolled through the doors to HQ, looking like, for a lack of better words, sex on a stick. His button-down—stark white to nicely show off his tan and with a couple undone buttons, of course—was neatly tucked into a pair of deliciously-tailored dark gray pants. 

“Looking real GQ there, babe,” Danny said with a tilt of his head, leaning against the open doorway to his office with his hands in his pockets.

“Thanks, Danno,” Steve glanced at him with soft eyes. He unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled up the sleeves to just below his elbows.

“Oh, was a fully-buttoned shirt too much for you? Not enough nudity?” Danny asked, trying desperately not to stare at those gorgeous forearms.

Steve just smirked at him, still adjusting his sleeves. “Still in Hawaii, Danno—gotta be casual. You should be happy that I’m not wearing slippahs.”

“Guess it’d be too much to hope for that you’d wear a tie,” Danny shot back, too much accidental emotion finding its way into that sentence.

Steve’s head shot up and he stared straight at Danny. He asked in a low voice, “Do you want me to wear a tie, Danno?”

Oh shit. Danny definitely did have a thing for Steve wearing a tie—more like one around his wrists tying him to the bed, but hey, semantics—but he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him that.

Oh thank god, there was the door. Danny’s head swiveled toward the entrance and let out a wolf whistle. “Wow. Marie, you look really great.”

And he wasn’t lying. Her red hair was in soft curls down her back, which was bare thanks to the cut of her skin-tight gray dress. The black stilettos gave her a couple inches of height advantage over Danny. He glanced back at Steve, who was looking back at him with a minor case of aneurysm face.

Marie smiled, a little shyly. “Thanks, Danny.”

“We didn’t do too badly on short notice, huh?” Kono asked with a smirk. “You clean up nice, boss!”

“Thanks, Kono,” Steve said with a smile. “Marie, you look lovely.”

“Right back atcha, Boss,” she replied. “Are we ready to head out?”

“Okay, I gotta ask,” Danny broke in. “Marie—how in the world are you armed?"

She and Kono burst out laughing. “You don’t want to know, Danny,” she responded through her chuckles. 

“God, I’m glad I’m not a girl,” Danny muttered. “You guys have to put up with way too much.”

“Uh, don’t I know it,” Kono said. “Gotta say, Marie, I’m a little happy to be relieved of ‘hot girl duty’ for one night.”

“Happy to help out for a night. Thanks for helping me get ready,” Marie said, leaning her head on Kono’s shoulder.

“You two ready to take this club by storm? You certainly look the part,” Chin said.

“Yes!” Steve called out. “Let’s head out. Marie and I are in the Camaro, and you all can follow in the van. We’ll stay in touch on the comms. Be safe, everyone.” He walked toward Marie, put his hand on her waist, and gently guided her out the door.

Danny followed the two out, trying not to look and decide who has a better-looking ass. Why did he have to work with such attractive people? It really wasn’t fair. Nope, not fair at all.


	4. Chapter 4

“You ready?” Steve asked, turning slightly in his seat to look at Marie.

“You bet,” she answered. “Anything to get this son of a bitch.” She smiled, and Steve mirrored her, laughing lightly.

The light turned green and Steve gunned the Camaro forward, sitting back lazily in his seat with one hand on the wheel. “So what do you think our general strategy should be?”

Marie hmm’ed and crossed her legs, exposing a long expanse of thigh under her dress. “I think we should go in there and try to be highly visible as a couple. We can scope out anyone who fits the description and then I can try to encounter them solo, see if they try anything. What do you think?”

Steve glanced at her and nodded. “Yeah, being visible is definitely key.”

“Ready to pretend to be in love?” Marie shifted her back toward the door and smirked.

Steve laughed easily. “In lust, anyway,” he said with a wink. “Okay, here we are. Guys, can you hear us? Where are you parked?”

Danny’s voice came over the comms, sounding slightly strangled. “Uh, we’re about two blocks away. We have visuals from a couple security cameras in the club and one traffic cam in front.”

Danny watched the monitor as the Camaro entered the view. He saw Steve exit the car, circle around the front, and open the passenger-side door. Steve reached in and took Marie’s hand, gently guiding her out of the car before tossing the key to the approaching valet. With Steve’s arm firmly around her shoulders and Marie’s around his waist, the couple approached the front of the club. Walking past the long line of people waiting to enter, the bouncer at the door immediately unhooked the rope and ushered them inside.

"Enjoy the benefits of being beautiful, you two," Danny said dryly as the pair disappeared from the view on the monitor.

"Aw, you think I'm beautiful, Danno?" Steve asked playfully. Danny rolled his eyes as Marie's hearty laugh was the first to be heard over the comms. 

"I think you're beautiful, Danny," Marie chimed in. "Most definitely skip-the-line worthy."

"Aw thanks, babe. Too bad Steve won Rock Paper Scissors."

Marie and Steve, still attached at the hip, slowly made their way around the edge of the club. “What can you see on your monitors, guys?” Steve said lowly. 

“We’ve got two cameras that cover most of the main area. We can’t see most of the bar, though, or back in the corners,” Kono said.

Marie nodded and looked at Steve. “We’ll try to stay in view, then. No sightings of anyone who looks like our guy?”

“Nope,” Chin answered. “The camera quality isn’t too great, but we’ll let you know if we see anyone.”

Steve nodded firmly and stepped away from the edge of the club, using their joined hands to pull Marie to the middle of the dance floor. “Might as well be visible,” he whispered with a grin. She smiled and lifted her arms to encircle his neck. He pulled her close, fingers toying with the edge of her backless dress, and they started to move their hips to the loud thumping beat of the music.

Several minutes later Kono’s voice came over the comms and asked, “See anything yet, guys?”

“Nothing yet,” Steve replied.

“All I really have is a view of Steve’s chest, so…” Marie said, garnering chuckles from everyone else.

Steve’s jaw dropped in mock outrage. “Are you complaining?” He asked with a grin as he took her hand and spun her around so she faced outward.

Marie chuckled and shook her head as she settled back into the cradle of Steve’s hips, his arms coming around to wrap low around her flat stomach. “I’d rather look at you than at a serial rapist.”

“Wow, high praise there, babe,” Danny said.

Steve shook his head and said lowly, “Cruel, all of you.” Marie shook slightly in his arms in her attempt to hold in her laughs.

A few minutes later, Marie’s hand reached up and grabbed at Steve’s forearm around her middle. “Hey, let’s go over there—I can get up and get a better view.”

Steve furrowed his brow and looked over to where she was indicating. There were a couple of poles throughout the club that extended from the ceiling to raised platforms. The one closest to them was currently empty. “You want to get up on that stripper pole?” He asked skeptically.

“Yeah, why not,” Marie said. “I’ll have a better view of everyone up there, plus I’ll be more visible.”

“The girl has a point, Steve,” Chin’s voice said in his ear.

Steve nodded and walked them over to the platform, which stood a few feet above the ground. “How are we going to do this?” Marie asked. “I’m not exactly super mobile in this dress.”

Steve stood directly behind her as they both faced the platform, and he crouched down slightly. “Here. Sit on my shoulder and hold my hands—I can lift you up and you can just step on.”

Marie grasped Steve’s hands in her own and carefully situated herself onto his broad right shoulder. He slowly stood up fully, which put her at the perfect height to step onto the platform.

“Very smooth, guys,” Kono said with a chuckle.

“Smooth Dog, indeed,” Danny chimed in.

Steve made sure Marie was settled on her feet before stepping back, taking a quick glance around to see if anyone was watching them with intent. Not seeing anyone, he turned his gaze back to Marie and thought he heard a slight choking sound coming through the comms.

Danny nearly swallowed his tongue—for the second time in one night, thanks so much—as he watched Marie wrap herself around that pole and grind to the beat of the music.

“Careful, Steve,” he said. “You’re going to have to beat them off of her with a stick.”

“Yeah, that’s the idea, Danno,” Steve said, with an edge to his voice.

_Yes I'll be your woman_  
Yes I'll be your baby  
Yes I'll be whatever that you tell me when you're ready  
Yes I'll be your girl, forever your lady  
You ain't ever gotta worry, I'm down for you baby

“For fuck’s sake, what is this trash?” Marie said quietly as she continued to dance. “I’m lodging an official feminist complaint, dancing on a fucking stripper pole to this song.”

“Well, babe, it looks like you’re enjoying it just fine from here,” Danny said.

“I’m taking that as a compliment, Daniel,” Marie said, with a playful warning tone in her voice.

“Your complaint is acknowledged,” Steve said, glancing around again. “Thanks for sacrificing your morals to the cause. Seriously.”

_Now if we're talking body_ __  
You got a perfect one, so put it on me  
Swear it won't take you long  
If you love me right  
We fuck for life, on and on and on

“Ugh, that’s a little better,” Marie said as the song changed. “By the way you guys, you have no idea how hard it is to do anything, uh, _interesting_ on a stripper pole without revealing that I have a gun strapped to my thigh.” She smiled satisfyingly down at Steve, who was trying to hold in his laugh.

Danny closed his eyes, hard, and screamed inside his head. God, this girl was just a female version of Steve. This was fulfilling a fantasy that he didn’t even know that he had. Fuck.

Marie’s voice broke through Danny’s (inappropriate) thoughts and he forced his eyes back open.

“Guys, I see something,” she murmured urgently, though her movements gave nothing away. She shifted her position so she was facing Steve. “Tall blonde guy, looks a little shifty. He keeps looking at me. He’s at my 2 o’clock. Steve, your 8 o’clock.”

“Shit,” Chin said. “He must be out of view of the security camera because we don’t have a visual.”

Steve took a casual glance and caught a glimpse—he did match their description.

“C’mon down, Marie,” he said, gesturing up toward her. “We can try to get closer.”

Marie moved to the edge of the platform and leaned down a bit to grab Steve’s shoulders. He put his hands firmly on her waist, lifted her slightly, and slid her gently down to the ground.

“Okay, let’s head over there,” Marie said firmly, pushing on Steve’s chest.

“Whoa, whoa, there,” Danny broke in. “Do you two have a plan?”

Steve mostly ignored Danny and looked at Marie. “What do you want to do?”

The two of them were swaying gently to the music. “I think we should meander in that direction,” Marie said. “Make sure he fits the description. He’s standing near the bathrooms—probably not a coincidence. I’ll go and see if he approaches me.”

“Be careful, please,” Steve looked at her intently. “Talk a lot so we can hear what’s going on.”

“Not my first rodeo, Steve,” Marie said with a grin. She squeezed his arms briefly and then slipped out of his embrace, heading in the direction of their suspect and toward the bathroom.

“Fuck, the crowd is thick,” Steve said softly. “I lost sight of her already. Do you guys have a visual?”

“Nope,” Kono answered. “The bathrooms aren’t covered by these cameras, I’m afraid.”

Steve sighed heavily. “She’ll be okay, Steve,” Chin said gently. “She knows what she’s doing.”

Marie finished washing her hands, grabbing a couple of paper towels and drying her hands. The bathroom was currently empty, so she took a quick second to stick her hand up her dress, checking that her gun was set and in place. She blew out a big breath, looked at herself steadily in the mirror, and nodded. Time to do this.

She walked toward the bathroom door, trying to loosen her movements a bit as if she had been drinking. She pasted a smile on her face and opened the door, assaulted by the loud music and the distinctive nightclub smell of cologne, alcohol, and sweat.

Marie made it fewer than a dozen steps out of the bathroom before she felt an arm wrap around her waist and somebody step up right against her back. She tensed immediately—this definitely wasn’t Steve.

“Hey pretty girl,” a dark voice whispered in her ear. “Wanna dance?”

She fought off a shudder and replied, “Actually no, I’m afraid I’m here with my boyf—”

Her words were cut off by a sharp pain, low on the right side of her back near where the fabric of her dress started.

“Yeah, I saw him,” the voice said coldly. “But you’re leaving with me. Don’t move, don’t make a fuss, and don’t scream.”

Marie twisted her head a bit to catch a glance of the stranger—it was the man they had spotted, all right. She let him lead her toward a side door, his body and his knife pressed up against her back.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Steve cursed as he tried to fight through the crowd. “Can you guys see anything?”

“Afraid not,” Danny said, his voice tense and tight.

“They must be going out the back to the alley. I’m getting there as fast as I can,” Steve said frantically.

“We’re leaving the van now, boss. We’ll meet you there,” Kono said tersely.

Marie took a deep breath of fresh air as the man forcibly opened a side door to the club and pushed her outside. He led her forward, and she could see a van parked a few yards away. It was now or never—she was _not_ getting in that van.

Marie steeled herself before stomping down hard on one of the man’s feet with her right stiletto. She threw her left elbow back into his gut, putting all of her weight into it, and at the same time used her right hand to grab the gun from her thigh holster. She felt his weight fall away from her a bit, so she wheeled around, taking a step back and pointing her gun directly at his chest.

“Don’t you fucking move,” she snarled. “I’m a federal agent, and you’re under arrest.”

The tall man stilled, his eyes widening as he looked at her. He shifted his gaze from her to the knife that was still in his hand and back to her again. She narrowed her eyes and lifted her gun threateningly. He took a step forward and raised his hand as the club door they had come out of banged open.

The man startled slightly, and Marie took advantage of the opportunity to unleash a roundhouse kick, sending the knife clattering to the ground. She saw Steve out of the corner of her eye, his gun drawn as he approached them.

“Get on your knees, you piece of shit,” Steve spat out. “You’re under arrest.”

The man’s mouth tightened, but he sank to his knees and laced his fingers together behind his head, his gaze not leaving Marie. She kept her gun pointed at him as Steve stepped behind him, holstered his gun, and pulled a zip tie out of his pocket. He secured the man’s wrists before kicking the knife farther away and hurrying over to Marie.

He took her face in his hands and looked her up and down. “Are you okay?” He asked urgently. “Did he hurt you?”

Marie smiled slightly before leaning heavily into Steve’s arms. “I got scraped with his knife,” she said with a grimace. “Shit, it hurts.”

“Fuck!” Steve looked around urgently, seeing Danny, Kono, and Chin suddenly appear at the end of the alley, vests on and guns drawn.

“Call for backup and call for a bus!” Steve called out to them before returning his attention to Marie. He ran his hands over her body frantically, stopping at her low back as he felt a damp stickiness.

“I wanna take a closer look at this, okay?” Steve asked gently, stilling his hands on her hips and shifting in front of her to block her from the view of their suspect, still kneeling on the ground.

Marie nodded and moved her arm so Steve could unzip the side zipper, pulling her dress away so he could get a better look at the cut on her back.

Meanwhile, Chin and Kono immediately headed toward the suspect, standing him up and replacing the zip tie with handcuffs. They walked him toward the end of the alley and toward the sounds of the approaching sirens. “We’ll send the bus back here, boss!” Kono called over her shoulder as they walked away.

Danny approached Steve and Marie, pressing a cloth into Steve’s hand as Marie’s dress fell to the ground. Steve looked at Danny with a “thank you” in his eyes before gently pressing on Marie’s low back, trying to stop the bleeding.

“How does it look?” Marie asked, craning her neck around to try and catch a glimpse.

“It’s big and ugly and bleeding,” Steve said honestly. “But it’s not too deep and you may not even need stitches. It definitely needs to be cleaned and bandaged, though.”

Marie nodded and sighed. “Sorry.”

“Sorry!” Steve exclaimed. “What in the world are you sorry for? I come out here and you’ve got the situation totally under control. He comes at you with his knife and you fucking roundhouse kick it out of his hand. Danno, you should have seen it. If anything, we should be sorry for putting you in this situation. I’m so sorry you got hurt.”

Marie smiled gently. “No worries, this is my job.”

“You’re lucky, babe,” Danny said with a friendly grin. “I got shot the very first day I worked with Steve, and I had to _work_ for anything resembling an apology.”

Steve rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. “And he never lets me forget it.”

Marie laughed as Steve gestured toward Danny. “Danno, hold this.”

Danny reached out to hold the cloth in place against Marie’s back, resting his other hand on her shoulder. Steve tugged his shirt out of his pants and swiftly unbuttoned it, whipping it off his arms. He carefully draped it over Marie’s shoulders, and she smiled at him as she worked her arms into the sleeves.

“Thanks. No need to let _everyone_ see me naked.”

Can Danny not catch a break? This is just _not fair_. Danny feels a little bit bad ogling an injured woman, but not quite bad enough to stop doing it. Her black lingerie peeked through the white dress shirt— _Steve’s_ white dress shirt that left _Steve_ gloriously bare-chested—that barely covered her ass. The black high heels were really just the cherry on top of the whole sundae. And let’s not even get into Steve standing there all half-naked. Danny groaned inwardly and tried to look away.

Minutes later an ambulance was rolling carefully down the alley. The back doors opened, and the trio slowly walked over. Steve explained the situation to the paramedics, and Danny removed the bloody cloth as Marie hopped up into the back of the ambulance. Steve and Danny moved away, leaning against the alley wall, as the paramedics cleaned up the cut on Marie’s back.

“Good job, babe,” Danny said softly.

Steve turned to look at him and nodded. “Yeah, it’s always hard throwing someone to the wolves like that—well, someone other than me—but it worked out nicely today.”

“That’s an understatement,” Danny said. “She seemed to handle herself just fine tonight.”

“Oh yeah,” Steve smiled. “She’s really tough. I think she’s going to fit in nicely with us.”

“Knew you couldn’t get through the night fully clothed,” Danny snarked, reaching out to poke Steve in the side.

Steve squirmed away and smirked. “It’s not a successful night out if your shirt stays on, Danno.”

Danny swallowed hard and looked over at Steve, whose face was mostly in the shadows. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by the slamming of a door. The duo looked up to see Marie shaking hands with the paramedics.

“What’s the deal, gentlemen?” Steve asked, giving Marie a quick look-over.

“You were right, Commander,” the paramedic responded. “The cut was pretty dirty but it didn’t need stitches.” He turned to look at Marie. “Be sure to keep it clean and get yourself to a doctor if it looks like it’s getting infected. Advil or Tylenol can help if the area gets sore.”

Marie nodded and smiled. “Thanks so much, guys.”

The ambulance rolled away, and the trio followed slowly.

“I feel ridiculous,” Marie laughed as she held her ruined dress in her hands and looked down at herself. “It’s barely after midnight, and I already look like I’m doing a walk of shame.”

“I am the only one of us who looks appropriate,” Danny said. “As always. Also, Kono and Chin took the van, so we’re all in the Camaro.”

“And I’m driving,” Steve said with a sunny smile as he reached over and plucked the keys out of Danny’s hand.

Marie laughed. “Danny, you can at least have the passenger seat,” she offered, but Danny shook his head vigorously.

“Ah, ah, I am nothing if not a gentleman,” Danny said gallantly, gesturing toward the passenger-side door.

Steve snorted, which garnered him an affronted look from Danny.

“Hey! I’m more of a gentleman than you, you Neanderthal,” Danny said with a glare.

“You’re just offering to take the back seat because your legs are probably shorter than hers.” Steve smirked and moved out of the way as Danny tried to smack him.

“Ow, ow, ow,” Marie said through her peals of laughter. “Stop making me laugh, guys, it hurts my back.”

They approached the passenger side of the Camaro, and Steve unlocked the car, opening the passenger door and gesturing. “C’mon, motley crew, let’s go.”

Danny clambered into the backseat and Marie followed, gently settling into her seat. She shifted, trying to pull Steve’s shirt down as far as possible over her thighs. It was not as long as she hoped.

Steve rifled around in the trunk, pulling out a spare shirt he kept in there and tugging it on.

“Marie, where are you staying?” he asked once they were on their way.

“I’m set up with a nice little rental house on the beach, but it won’t be ready for a couple more days so I’m staying at the Hilton.”

“Do you want to just spend the night at my place?” Steve offered. “It’s pretty late, and I’m sure you’re sore.”

Marie smiled and shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay. You can just drop me off at the Hilton.”

Steve stopped at a red light and turned to look her up and down. “You sure about that?”

Marie looked down at herself and sighed. “Oh, fuck. Yeah, I guess that would be best. I have a bag of clothes and stuff at HQ, so I can just grab that tomorrow.”

Steve nodded decisively. “It’s decided then,” he said. He glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Danny looking out the window and frowning deeply. “You okay back there?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine. Tired I guess.”

Steve tilted his head and continued to look at Danny in the mirror with questioning eyes. Danny just shook his head and smiled blandly before returning his gaze out the window.

About ten minutes later Steve pulled into Danny’s driveway, and they all piled out of the car. Steve’s truck was sitting in the driveway, left from when he’d picked Danny up that morning. As Marie and Steve got in, Danny walked around the front of the truck and braced his hands on the open driver’s side window, looking in at Steve.

“Good night, guys,” Danny said, reaching his hand into the window a little bit to waggle his fingers in Marie’s direction.

“Good night, Danny!” she called out.

“Night, Danno,” Steve said, looking up at him with a smile. “We did good tonight.”

“Yeah, we sure did,” Danny said, backing away with a wave as he headed toward his front door. He let himself in and leaned against the closed door, listening to the rumble of Steve’s truck as it pulled away. He rubbed at his chest, which was suddenly feeling tight, and tried desperately not to think about what might happen that night at Steve’s house.


	5. Chapter 5

“Here we are,” Steve announced as he pulled the truck in front of his house. Marie clambered carefully out and followed Steve up the walkway and inside after he’d unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm.

“Please just make yourself at home,” Steve said, gesturing up the stairs. “I can give you some actual clothes to sleep in and you can stay in the guest room. Are you, uh, tired, or do you want to have a drink or something?”

Marie dropped her small purse onto a side table and smiled, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. “I’m pretty beat, actually,” she answered. “The idea of a bed sounds real good right about now.”

Steve chuckled and started to head up the stairs. “Me too.” He stopped in front of the first room and pushed the door open.

“Uh, sorry about all the pink,” Steve said. “Gracie usually stays here.”

Marie smiled brightly. “She stays here often enough that she has a room?” she asked with a little glint in her eye.

“Well, sometimes,” Steve said. “Makes her happy to have some stuff here. Uh, anyway, I’ll go grab you some clothes, hang on.”

Steve reappeared a few minutes later, handing Marie a pair of shorts and an old Navy t-shirt. “We have a bit of a size difference,” he said with a chuckle, “but these should be fine.”

“Thanks so much, Steve, for letting me stay here,” Marie said warmly.

“Anytime,” Steve replied with a smile. “You’re part of the team now. Bathroom’s down the hall. Do you need to change the bandage on your back?”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Marie answered. “The paramedics said it would probably be good until tomorrow.”

Steve nodded and backed out of the room with a wave. “Good night, then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Marie jerked awake, sitting up and looking around wildly at her surroundings. Oh, right. It all came back to her in a rush—you caught a criminal, you got hurt, you stayed at Steve’s place—and she fell back against the pillows. That garnered a groan as she landed directly on her wound. Flopping onto her side, she took a deep breath and looked at the clock on the nightstand.

7:03. A little early for a Saturday, but what the hell. She swung her legs out of bed and stood slowly, gently twisting her back to gauge the soreness. Not unbearable. She poked her head out of the door, looking around and listening. Nothing. She headed down the hall to the bathroom and glanced in the open door of Steve’s bedroom—it was empty and his bed was made.

Marie made it downstairs and into the kitchen without a Steve sighting. She looked around the kitchen briefly before shrugging her shoulders and heading straight for the fridge. He had said to make herself at home, after all.

Before too long she had a bunch of chopped vegetables sizzling away in a pan and a bowl of beaten eggs ready to go. Just as she finished off the scrambled eggs with a sprinkling of cheese, she heard Steve’s truck door slam. She split the eggs and veggies among two plates and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot.

“Hey,” she said to Steve as he wandered into the kitchen. “Morning. Sorry for raiding your fridge, but I made extra,” she said with a smile as she held up the plates.

“Wow, best house guest ever,” Steve said, eagerly reaching for one of the plates and sitting down at the table. “Best Danny could ever manage was a burned frittata.”

Marie laughed and joined Steve at the table. “Well this is a whole lot easier—give him credit for trying a frittata.”

“All I’m going to give him credit for is trying to burn down my house,” Steve said dryly.

Marie rolled her eyes playfully and kept working on her eggs.

“I stopped by HQ this morning and picked up your bag,” Steve said, shoveling one last bite of eggs into his mouth.

“Oh wow, thanks,” Marie said gratefully. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Steve said easily, rising and heading toward the sink with his empty plate. “What are you up to today?"

Marie shrugged and polished off her eggs. “No plans, really. Keep trying to learn my way around,” she said with a laugh.

“You need a real Hawaiian experience,” Steve said determinedly, leaning back against the sink and crossing his arms. “Have you even been surfing?”

Marie chuckled, standing up and joining Steve at the sink. “Just once, when I lived in Australia for a little while. I think I managed to stand up once? I was pretty terrible.”

“You want to give it another try? The waves are pretty gentle back here, and I have an extra board.”

Marie tilted her head, hesitated for a second, and then nodded. “Sure, that sounds great. I think I even a suit in that bag. Oh wait—my bandage.”

“I have some waterproof wrap you can put on it. Plus, salt water is good for everything,” Steve said with a grin.

Marie laughed. “Okay, then. I should probably change the dressing, too, then.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, come on, I can help you. Thanks to way too much experience, I know it’s just about impossible to deal with a cut on your back.”

 

“Ow, ow, ow,” Marie said quietly under her breath, one hand braced on the sink and the other reaching behind her to hold up the edge of Steve’s shirt that she was wearing. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Steve said with a wince, hurrying to finish applying the hydrogen peroxide to Marie’s wound. He dabbed it dry before covering it with another bandage and then some waterproof wrap.

“There you go,” he said, reaching down and gently tugging the waistband of her shorts back up over the dressing.

“Wow, thanks,” Marie said, craning her neck around over her shoulder. “Nice job.”

“Yes, despite what Danny may say, I actually do know how to take care of wounds,” Steve said, gathering up the detritus and tossing it in the trash. “You ready?”

“Yup,” Marie said. “Just let me get changed, and I’ll meet you outside.”

Steve stepped up to the sink and washed his hands before heading into his bedroom to change into a pair of board shorts. He bounded downstairs and dug out two surfboards, carrying them downstairs.

He heard the lanai door slam, and he looked back over his shoulder to see Marie walking toward the sand, dressed in a striped bikini with her hair loose around her shoulders. Steve gulped a bit as she walked toward him—he wasn’t blind, she sure did fill that bikini out nicely.

 

A few hours later, the two of them staggered out of the water and flopped down onto the sand, tossing their boards to the side.

“Phew,” Marie exhaled, stretching out fully on the sand. “That was really fun. I’m exhausted." 

Steve chuckled and stretched out next to her. “It’s not quite as exhausting when you don’t wipe out all the time,” he said with a smirk.

“Hey!” Marie propped herself up on her elbows and reached one hand out, swatting at his chest. “I did pretty good for my second time. Ya big jerk.” He laughed and after a few moments of silence, rose to a sitting position.

“You want a beer?” Steve asked, turning to look at her. “It’s almost noon, we’ve been working hard.”

Marie laughed and shrugged. “What the hell.”

Steve scrambled to his feet and headed inside, coming back out a minute later with two open bottles. Marie jumped up and took the bottle from his hand, clinking the necks together as she did so.

“Cheers,” Steve said, before tilting his head back and taking a long swallow.

Marie stepped toward the water's edge, taking a second to dip her toe in the cool water. Raising the beer bottle to her lips, she took a slow sip and swallowed leisurely, gazing out toward the water for several minutes. 

"So, what's the story with you and Danny?" She stole a sideways glance at Steve, who was standing to her right and had waded out a little further, about calf-deep. She saw his shoulders tense briefly before he turned toward her. 

"What do you mean?" He replied. "We’re friends, partners, have been for five years."

"Yeah, that's not really what I meant," she said, turning more fully to face him. "C'mon Steve, I'm pretty smart. I'm also not blind."

"I, uh," Steve said, before looking down and taking a long gulp of his beer. "I really don't know what to say. I don't know what you're talking about."

Marie leveled her gaze on him, pointing her bottle in his direction. “I’m pretty good at reading people. I think you want to be with him but you’re scared to do anything about it.”

Steve started to walk toward her, his jaw tense. He came to a sudden stop, causing water and sand to swish over Marie’s feet, and loomed over her. She looked up at him sedately, undeterred. He reached out and snagged her waist with one large hand, his thumb rubbing gently against her hipbone above the edge of her bikini.

“Steve—” Marie started, but he cut her off by dipping his head and capturing her lips in a swift kiss. He slipped his hand around from her hip to her low back, sneaking his pinky under the fabric of her bikini as he drew her closer to his body. His other arm came up and wrapped tightly around her ass, pressing them together more firmly and causing Marie to shiver as his cold beer bottle brushed against the back of her thigh. Several seconds later, the pair came up for air, and Marie shook her head slightly, raising one of her hands to place it firmly on Steve’s chest.

“C’mon Steve,” she said softly. “What was that?”

Steve spun around to face the ocean again, breathing deeply through his nose and taking another gulp of beer.

“I like _you_ , okay?” He said flatly. “Not Danny. You.”

“Steve,” Marie started, reaching her hand out to grasp his forearm. He tried to wrench it away, but she gripped harder, and he stilled. “You _could_ like me. I know my way around a gun, I already saved your life, and come on…I am rocking this bikini.” She smiled as he softened and turned toward her, his face a little less closed-off.

“But you don’t like me. You like Danny. You wanna know how I know that?” Marie asked. He didn’t answer but she continued anyway.

“Because last night I was in your house, half-naked, and you didn’t make a move. Believe me, I’m very happy that you didn’t,” she said, smiling and holding her hands out in front of her. “And also because I can see how much Danny means to you. You talk about him all the time, I can see the way you look at him, Gracie has a room here!”

Steve seemed to deflate in front of her, plopping down heavily onto the sand. He propped his forearms on his knees and stared at the beer bottle dangling from his hand. "It’s kind of the elephant in the room sometimes, with Danny and with other people, but no one has ever straight-out mentioned it and made me talk about it. Until you came along, that is," he finished, glancing up at her. 

Marie carefully sat down crossed-legged next to him, wedging her beer bottle into the sand between her legs and leaning back on her hands. "It's okay, you know."

He turned his head to look at her. “What is?”

Marie shrugged. “All of it. Being confused about it. Not doing what to do about it. Hell, just wanting Danny to be more than just your best friend…that’s all okay. Just talk to me about it for a minute. I’m a great listener.”

He smiled weakly. “That’s true.”

Steve took a deep breath and started talking. About everything. About his mom and Danny’s brother. About North Korea and Afghanistan and Cambodia. About the cuddling on the couch. About the air heart. About all the hugs and casual touches. About the I love yous. About Rachel and Catherine and Gabby and Amber. About everything that’s happened between him and Danny over the past five years. He had to go replenish their beers about halfway through.

“Whoa,” Marie said, looking a little shell-shocked, when he was finished.

Steve leaned back, stretching out fully on the sand. “That is definitely the most words I’ve ever said at one time.”

Marie burst out laughing. “Well, that’s quite the honor, Steve, thanks.” She leaned over toward him, clinking the neck of her bottle against his.

“So why don’t you think you guys have ever really talked about this before?” she asked.

“It’s just…” Steve stalled, picking at the label on his beer bottle. “It’s so hard to deal with that I think both of us just keep avoiding it. I do, at least. It always feels like we’ll have more time later to deal with it. Which is especially ironic, considering our jobs and everything we’ve been through.”

“That’s exactly it,” Marie said, nodding. “You really _don’t_ have more time. You need to deal with it. No matter what happens, it will be the biggest relief that it’s out of the open. I really do think that everything will be fine, and you’ll get the result that you want, but—”

“Yeah, speaking of that,” Steve said, rising to a seated position. “Danny hasn’t ever said anything or acted like he’s anything but 100% straight.”

“Well, Steve,” Marie questioned. “Have _you_ ever acted anything less than 100% straight?”

Steve looked at her and then down at his hands. “No, I guess not.”

Marie smiled. “I mean…if you’re not looking at Danny, he’s looking at you. Plus, he was basically beside himself with jealousy yesterday, and it most certainly wasn’t about me—it was about you.”

Steve pondered that, taking a gulp of beer and gazing out at the ocean for several moments.

“So, uh,” he began, “ _hypothetically_ let’s say I wanted to…deal with this somehow. What should I do?”

Marie pointed at him with her beer bottle. “You’re going to call him. And you’re going to ask him to come over for dinner, and you’re going to tell him that you have something to talk about. And you’re going to do that _tonight_. Before you lose your nerve.”

Steve scrunched up his face and honest-to-god whined. “Seriously? I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“I know,” Marie said simply. “But no one is ready for conversations like these. It is really scary. But truly, Steve, no matter what happens, you’ll eventually be happier than you are right now. This holding pattern tension isn’t healthy for anyone.”

“Yeah,” Steve sighed. “I think you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Marie said, quirking up one side of her mouth in a smirk. “I’m always right. And I could see this… _thing_ between you two from the very beginning.”

“Then why’d you kiss me back, huh?” Steve said with a grin, reaching out to poke her in the side.

Marie laughed, squirming desperately to dodge his hand. “Gosh, give a girl a break. You’re hot, I’m human. It was a pretty damn good kiss, actually.”

Steve beamed, and Marie groaned. “Oh god, I take that back. I can see your head swelling in front of my eyes.”

Steve stuck his empty beer bottle in the sand and stood up, offering one hand to Marie. “Come here.”

She set her beer bottle aside and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. He didn’t let go of her hand when she stood, pulling her toward him.

“Ah, you’re not going to kiss me again, are you?” Marie said with a grin and pretended to get away.

“Oh shut up, you,” Steve said, smiling, and pulled her into a tight hug. “You knew you loved it.”

“Psshh,” she said playfully, wrapping her arms around him fully.

“I really don’t know how to thank you,” Steve said quietly.

Marie smiled and pulled back a little to see his face, moving her hands to his biceps. “The only way you can thank me is by talking to Danny. I’ve only been here for a few days and the tension is killing me—I can only imagine how Chin and Kono feel, those poor people.”

Steve chuckled. “They’re probably immune by now.”

“Are you worried about what they might think?” Marie said seriously.

Steve shook his head. “I’m really not. We’re _ohana_ —they wouldn’t care about something like that.”

“That’s what I figured,” Marie said.

Steve blew out a loud breath and shook his head slightly. “Okay. I can do this.”

“Of course you can,” Marie said firmly as she gazed up at him, squeezing her hands around his biceps. “It's time to take a chance, Steve. You have no problem being brave to help everyone else, but you need to be brave for yourself. You deserve to be happy, you really do.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “Yeah.”

A noise from back toward the house startled them both, and both of their heads swiveled in that direction. They glanced up the beach to see both Danny and Grace standing in the doorway. 

"Uh, hey," Danny called out, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "We thought we'd stop by and see if you wanted to go grab something for a late lunch, but if we're interrupting—"

"Nope!" Marie answered. 

"Just a sec," Steve added. He looked back down at Marie and lowered his voice. "Guess I’m gonna have to postpone this a bit."

She glared up at him and socked him in the shoulder, smiling satisfyingly when he winced. "You're not getting out of this that easy, Steve. Just let me handle it."

Marie slipped out of his embrace and strode up toward the house. He jogged after her, hissing her name urgently.

She steadfastly ignored him and grinned at Danny and Grace. "Hey guys!"

Danny smiled hesitantly at her, stealing a glance toward Steve as he joined them by the door, while Grace returned the grin. "Hi again, Marie! That's a really pretty bikini. Did you go surfing?"

"Thanks Gracie! I sure did. This was only my second time so I didn't do so hot, but Steve tried to show me the ropes."

"He's a good teacher," Grace agreed, smiling up at Steve. He held his hand out for a high-five and Grace eagerly slapped it. 

"Hey Grace," Marie started, "do you think you'd be up for showing me some of your favorite things to do around here? I'm gonna be here for a bit, and I don't know the cool places to go. Plus, I think Steve needs a few minutes to talk to your dad about something."

Steve sent a slightly panicked look her way, which she returned with a reassuring smile. Danny watched the entire exchange, furrowing his brow slightly. 

"Ooh, ooh, yes! I can show you my favorite stores down by Waikiki. Danno, can I go with Marie, please?"

Danny turned to look at Grace, who gazed pleadingly up at him. He shifted his gaze to Steve, who smiled, a little nervously, and shrugged. 

"Sure thing, Monkey," he said, smoothing his hand over her hair. "You two have fun."

Marie stepped close to Steve, bracing her hand on his forearm as she leaned up to speak softly in his ear. "Just text me when the coast is clear, okay? Good luck, sailor." She patted his arm as she turned back around. 

Marie reached around Danny to grab her cover-up dress on the table, pulling it over her head before slinging her arm across Grace's shoulders. "Okay, we're off! Time for some girl time, right Grace?" She tilted her head to look down at Grace, who giggled and nodded. 

"See you boys later," Marie called out as they headed into the house. She threw over her shoulder, "Steve, I'm taking your truck!"


	6. Chapter 6

“So,” Danny started, trying valiantly to make his voice sound the opposite of how depressed as he felt. “You and Marie, huh? Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? She’s a pretty good catch. I mean, a little young, but hey—been there, done that. No judgment from me."

“What?” Steve looked startled. “Danny, no.”

“What do you mean, no?” Danny replied, crinkling his brow. “I come over here to see you two half-naked, all wrapped up in each other, and you’re telling me nothing’s going on?”

“Okay, first of all,” Steve said with a roll of his eyes. “We just went surfing, we weren’t just half-naked. And it—it just wasn’t what it looked like.”

“So then, what was it?” Danny replied, crossing his arms.

Steve sighed. Time to see exactly where Danny stood. “Look Danno, I know you like her and are jealous. But there’s nothing going on between us, I promise.”

“Um, what?” Danny asked, leaning forward and spreading his arms wide. “Are you kidding me?”

"Which part?" Steve asked.

Danny rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air, starting to pace back and forth. "Shit. Both parts, actually. But start with the first one. About how much you think I like her."

“You kept talking about how pretty she was and how good she was with Grace, you wanted to go undercover with her…” Steve trailed off.

Danny snorted and shook his head. “I’m not—” he started to yell. “Wait a second.” Danny stopped his pacing and whipped around to stare at Steve, stepping closer. “If you thought I liked her, then why did you seem to try and keep us apart? I’m not sure what they taught you about the bro code in the Army, Steven, but that is not it.” He punctuated the last four words with jabs of his finger into Steve’s chest (which was still bare, fuck).

Steve growled and reached up to grab Danny’s finger, wrenching it away. “You just don’t understand,” he said, a little louder than he had planned.

Danny stepped back stiffly and crossed his arms. “Explain it to me, then,” he said sternly.

Steve blew out a big breath, reaching up with one hand to rub his forehead. "I thought you liked her. So I tried to keep the two of you apart. I am sorry, Danny, that was a shitty thing to do."

"Damn straight it was!" Danny exclaimed. "Why would you do that?"

Steve propped his hands on his hips and looked Danny square in the eye. "Because I was jealous, okay? Not of you, but of her. I thought you liked her, and I was jealous." Steve's courage disappeared the instant those words left his mouth, and he spun around, unable to look at Danny.

"And why were you jealous, Steven?" Danny said quietly.

Steve gritted his teeth and turned back around toward him. "Why do you think, Danno? Come on."

"So we're doing this," Danny said, his expression unreadable. "We're having this conversation."

"It's been five years! Yes, we're fucking doing this," Steve said, exasperated.

"Well, thank fuck," Danny said plainly.

Before Steve could even process what he had just said, he found himself with an armful of Danny and a very eager pair of lips on his. It took Steve about another millisecond before he got his shit together and responded, pushing back against Danny's weight with his body and lifting his hands to frame Danny's face. With his thumbs on Danny's cheeks and his fingers in his hair, he tilted Danny's head a bit to fit their mouths together more firmly.

Danny's mouth opened on a little moan, sliding his tongue into Steve's mouth and ratcheting up the intensity of their kiss. He slid his hands from where they rested on Steve's hips up his back and to the tops of his shoulders. Danny turned his head suddenly and sucked in a deep breath. "Wait, Steve-"

"Nope," Steve said, twisting his head to find Danny's lips and holding his head more firmly.

Danny let out a manic chuckle and forced his lips away again. "Hang on babe, just hang on," he gasped. Steve grunted and turned his attention instead to Danny's throat, dipping his head down to pay special attention to where Danny's neck met his jaw.

Danny laughed fully and stepped back just an inch, pressing his hand into Steve's chest to stop him from following.

"What, Danno?" Steve asked, looking pitiful. God, his puppy dog eyes were almost as bad as Grace's. And Danny was just as terrible at resisting them.

"I just wanna, uh," Danny said, running his hands up and down Steve's chest. "I just wanna savor this a bit. It's been a long time. I've only thought about this, oh, a couple thousand times or so." He raised his gaze to Steve's eyes, looking a little sheepish.

Steve smiled slowly and started to walk forward, gently backing Danny toward the house and through the door. "We've got all the time in the world, babe. I'm in this for the long haul," he said seriously.

Danny smirked up at him and nodded. "Glad we're on the same page. Can we get back to the sex now?"

Steve quirked one eyebrow and gave Danny a solid push on the chest toward the wall. He stepped up and used his own body to hold him there.

“Oh fuck,” Danny groaned and let his head fall back with a thunk. Steve was currently devouring the side of his neck, apparently determined to map out every inch of skin and figure out exactly where Danny’s hot spots were. Danny was quickly finding out he had a lot more than he previously thought.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Danny said breathlessly, wrenching Steve’s head up so we could look into his eyes. “We don’t know how long we have, they could come back any minute. We should, uh, stop.”

Steve grinned and pressed the full length of his body against Danny, using his hands and his weight to press Danny’s wrists against the wall. “What, you don’t think Marie was in on it?” he said, unable to resist leaning in and nipping at Danny’s neck again.

“Uh, what?” Danny asked, fairly incoherently.

Steve pulled back about a centimeter and smirked. “This was part of the plan. I’ll text Marie when we’re done, then she’ll know the coast is clear for her and Grace to come back. So we have as long as we want.” He dipped his head and continued his thorough explanation of Danny’s mouth.

“Gosh, you two are sneaky,” Danny said in between kisses. “Love your control freak nature, babe.”

“I’m going to remind you that you said that,” Steve promised.

“And I’ll deny it always,” Danny answered smoothly, flipping the two of them around so he could press Steve against the wall.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fic, so I'd really love to know what you all think!


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